Police: Man wrote $36,000 worth of fraudulent checks

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A man is facing charges after police say he wrote more than $36,000 in fraudulent checks and sold stolen property to a Fort Wayne business.

An employee from Wiegmann Auctioneers first filed a police report in March after more than $6,800 in checks written by Joseph Cain, 42, of Woodburn, bounced. The bank said the account from which the checks were written had apparently closed in February, according to court documents.

Officers began an investigation and discovered Cain had also written a fraudulent check to Rose City Motors for $30,000 for a Ford truck.

Police then received information that Cain had sold a stolen truck to Big B’s Gold Rush in Fort Wayne in February. After speaking with the owner of the business, police discovered Cain had also been trying to sell a stolen diamond ring there. The owner said he frequently did business with Cain.

According to court documents, on Friday, Cain was charged with the following:

Check fraud

Two counts of theft

Two counts of receiving stolen property

Police said Cain was previously convicted of check fraud in December of 2010.

Check out mug shots released to the media by law enforcement officials in northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio.

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